Machine for applying adhesives in the bottoms of the grooves of flooring strips



. I20 552 I54 1, 123 v 52 I02 I03 I04 INVENTOR5 3 Sheets-Sheet. 2

TR MA W 12% Y M ME R H m W N AW 43b no 40 5| 43b an KLAMMT El AL A. MACHINE FOR APPLYING ADHESIVES IN THE BOTTOMS OF THE GROOVES 0F FLOORING STRIPS Sept. 22, 1953 Filed Dec. 28, 1948 gas as Patented Sept. 22, 1953 MACHINE FOR APPLYING AnnEsIvEs IN- THE BOTTOMS OF THE onoovss 0F FLOORING STRIPS Arthur Klammt, Yonkers, N. Y., and George W. Krctzschmar, Garfield, N. J assignors to W. M. Bitter Lumber Company, a corporation of. West Virginia Applicationnecember 28, 1948', Serial Ni).v 67 7 ,728

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates. to improvem nts i m chine for applying, adhesives in the bottoms of thegrooves of flooringv strips and has for an object the provision of a. machine for: feeding and advancing a plurality of: flooring strips along spaced parallel paths, applying spaced spots of adhesive in the grooves of all of said; strips except the end strip which has its. roove facing outwardly, bringing said groups together under the urge of comparatively light pressure to give said spots a chance to spread between the tongues and grooves, and finally urging said. strips together under slightly greater pressure, thereby forming a parquet flooring block of each. group of strips. Parquet blocks formed in this manner are flexible due to the factthat the. rubber Spots act as hinges and this. reatly facilitates. the laying of the parquet, blocks because. they follow or conform to the contour of the surf-aces upon which they are laid.

Another object of the invention is the provision in a machine for, applying spacedspots of adhesive in the grooves of flooring strips, of an adhesive handling system in which the nozzles through which the, adhesive is discharged, extend into the grooves, and in which means is provided for impulsing the adhesive so as togive a quick discharge and an immediate. suction so. as to withdraw the adhesive in the nozzles immediately after they have discharged, thereby preventing dribbling and consequently oozing. of the adhesive on the surfaces of the flooring strips which would interfere with the finish which is finally applied to the surfaces of said blocks...

A further object oi the invention is. the. pro.- vision in a machine of the character described of feeding means in which each strip is urged both laterally and downwardly while being moved forwardly in order to insure accurate alignment of the ends of the. several strips whieh go to form each parquet block.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision, in a machine of the character described, of an adhesive tank in wh ch the means for discharging the adhesivevia nozzles directed toward the bottoms of the grooves in the flooring strips is comprised of compound mechanism, .part of which acts upwardly through the bottom of said tank by pneumatic-means, and part-of which is within the tank and is reciprocated therein by a means different from said first means.

Another object of the invention is the provision, in a machine of the characterdescribed, of mechanical means for advancing the flooring strips from a feeding station, via astation where spots of adhesive are applied in the bottoms of the grooves therein, a station where the strips are assembled under comparatively moderate pressure, and a final station where the strips are subjected to substantially heavypressure, said last stations being controlled by pneumatic means.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision, in a machine of the character described, of a plurality of pneumatically operated devices, and cam controlled valve means for controlling the supplying of a fluid medium under pressure thereto, said cam means having sectors adjustably carried thereon, thereby enabling the timing of said camming means to be set within predetermined limits.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon a study of this specification and the accompanying drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, which are merely given by way of example to illustrate the invention:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my new and improved machine for grouping parquet flooring blocks;

Figure 2 is a plan View partly in section as seen along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional elevation taken along the lines 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view showing the relation of one of the nozzles to the groove in one of the flooring strips, the nozzle plunger and the relation of the reciprocable plate within the adhesive tank;

Figure 5 is similar to Figure 4 except that the reciprocable plate has been moved to a point near the lower extremity of its movement and the plunger is moving downwardly prior to the delivery of the adhesive to. the nozzle; and

Figure 6 shows the plunger in the position for causing the adhesive to squirt against the bottom of the groove in the flooring strip.

. Referring first to Figures 1, 2 and ,3, the machine table has a plate. 9 having an upper surface it on which the strips are brought together and along which the assembled parquet blocks are moved. The table has. downwardly projecting sides in the form of channels ll l2, l3, l4 and I5, and secured to these downwardly projecting sides in any suitable manner, for example, by welding are legs 16, I], I8 and I9, which are generally L-shaped in cross section and which are joined near their lower ends by L-shaped channel members, one of Which is shown at 20 in Figures 1 and.3.

The right end of the surface I terminates at the point Illa, as seen in Figure 2, and a series of parallel guide strips 23, 24, 25, 2B and 21 extend from the point IOa to a plate 28 on the feed end of the machine. These guide strips are substantially parallel to each other and are spaced apart from each other distances equal to the width of the flooring strips plus the thickness of a. spring, which will presently be described, plus clearance. Each of these strips, with the exception of the strip 21, is provided with a series of holes, which might be termed small cylinder bores,

within which special cylinder means, also to be presently described, reciprocates. In the embodiment shown in the drawings each of these guide strips carries two such cylinder bores which are spaced apart from each other equal to the wanted distance apart longitudinally of the spots of adhesive in the grooves of the flooring strips.

Mounted in the guides are nozzles, such as the nozzle 38 shown in Figures 4, and 6, having a bore 3! which communicates with the cylinder bore shown in Figure 4 at 32, so that each of the two nozzles carried in each of the guides is positioned to squirt a spot of adhesive, such as the spot 33 in the bottom of the groove of the flooring strip (see Figure 5). A feed magazine generally designated by the numeral 34 has a plurality of columns formed therein between plates 35. 36, 31, 38 and 39.

Referring now to Figure 3, a slotted plate 48 is provided between the guides 23 and 24, the upper surface of which is substantially level with the upper surface ID of the plate 9. The slot 4! therein forms a passage along which the engaging members, such as the engaging members 42, carried by chain 43 may travel. As may be seen in Figure 1, the chain 43 spans a sprocket 44 carried on a shaft 45, and a sprocket 46 carried on a shaft 41. The means for driving this shaft will presently be described.

With a stack of flooring strips in the column, beneath which the chain 44 rotates, each of the engaging members 42 will feed the bottom flooring strip out from the column between the guides 26 and 21 and to hold each block down on the surface of the plate 40 is provided a brush 48,

which is carried on a support 49 positioned between the magazine and an adhesive tank 58', which will presently be described. The brush 4% spans all of the spaces between the guides 23 to 2! and consequently will hold down the flooring strips which are fed through the other channels.

In the space between the guides 24 and 25 is a slotted plate 5I similar to the plate 40, and this likewise has a slot 52 which forms a clearance for the engaging members 42a on the chain 43a. A similar slotted plate 53 is provided between the guides 25 and 26, and the slot therein provides clearance for the engaging members 4% carried on the chain 431), and between the guides 26 and 21 is a fourth slotted plate 54, a slot of which provides clearance for the engaging members 420 carried on a chain 430. The chains 43a to 43c inclusive are identical with the chain 43 and are carried on sprockets identical with the sprockets 44 and 46 and carried on the same shafts 45 and 41 respectively, so that as the shaft 41 rotates the engaging members on all of the chains simultaneously engage the bottom flooring strip in each column of the magazine and advance them simultaneously through the adhesive stage, to be presently described, and thence to mechanism 4 for performing other operations thereon, as will be more fully explained herein.

Referring now to Figure 3, the slotted plates 40, 5|, 53 and 54 have their upper surfaces on a level with the surface I 0. Mounted on the upper Web of the side channel I3 is a spacer block 22, and mounted on the upper web of the side channel I5 is a spacer block 2|. Supported on the spacer blocks 2I and 22 is a horizontal plate 55 which carries the adhesive tank 50. The tank 58 is comprised of a hollow rectangular member having a flange 55 formed about the lower end thereof and this flange is welded or otherwise secured in fluid-tight relation to the plate 55. The tank is provided with a cover plate 51 having a depending rim53 which forms a snug fit with the upper end of the tank.

The wall 59 of the tank has a rectangular opening Bil formed therein, and horizontally spanning this opening is a shaft BI. The side 62 of the tank also has a rectangular opening formed therein like the rectangular opening to and preferably in horizontal alignment therewith. Spanning this opening is a shaft 53. J ournaled on the shaft BI is a walking beam 64 and journaled on the shaft 53 is a like walking beam 6-5.

Referring to Figure 2, positioned in the tank 50 is a dasher plate 66 which has, in the embodiment shown, six holes 61 formed therein. These holes are in alignment with the bores 32 formed in the guides 24, 25 and 26. The dasher plate 66 has end tabs 68 and 69 which are closely adjacent to the inner surfaces of the end walls of the adhesive tank 50. The dasher plate also has side tabs 10, 1| and I2, 13 which are closely adjacent to the inner surfaces of the side Walls of the tank 53. Mounted in the dasher plate 65 is a vertical stud I4 and spaced apart therefrom is a second vertical stud I5.

Referring now to Figure 3, the dasher plate 66 has its vertical stud I4 pivotally connected by means of a clevis pin 76 to a connecting rod '11. The upper end of the connecting rod TI is pivotally connected by means of a second clevis pin it to the inner end of the walking beam 84. The vertical stud I5 in the dasher plate 56 is connected in exactly the same manner and by means of a duplicate connecting rod to the inner end of the walking beam 65.

Depending from the side channel It is a bracket member 79, and depending from the channel side I5 is a similar bracket member 89. The bracket member 19 has a clearance hole 81 formed therein and in alignment therewith is a clearance hole 82 in the bracket member 80. Secured on the inner surface of the bracket member '19 is a bearing holder 83, and secured on the inner surface of the bracket 86 is a bearing holder 84. These bearing holders may be provided with any desired type of bearings, for example, a ball or roller bearings. Journaled in the bearings carried in the holes 83 and 84 is a shaft H. Secured on one end of the shaft II is a sprocket 85 which is connected by means of a chain 86 to a smaller sprocket (not shown) carried on a gear reduction unit 31, which gear reduction unit is driven by means of an electric motor'88. Secured on the other end of the shaft I I is a smaller sprocket 89 which is connected by a chain to a larger sprocket 9|, which is secured on the shaft 47. As pointed out above, the shaft 41 carries a series of sprockets 46 which cooperate with corresponding sprockets 44 on the shaft 45 to drive the chains 43 which carry the engagement members 42 for feeding the flooring strips from the magazine 34. An idler sprocket 92 cooperateswith the chain, 99 to take up the slack.

Secured to the shaft II between thesprocket 85 and the bracket I9 is an eccentric 93:, and secured to the shaft II between the sprocket 89 and the bracket 8.8. is a second eccentric 94. The eccentrics 93' and 94' arexso set on the shaft II that their points of maximum throw are in alignment with the axis of the shaft II. Cooperating with the eccentric 93 is. a. connecting rod 95 having a bore 99 therein which forms a working fit on the. eccentric 93. The wrist pin end 91 of the connecting rod 95. is journaled on a wrist pin member 98 which has. a shank extending through a vertical slot 99 formed in the side channel I3. The. purpose of'this wrist pin will presently be described. A second connecting I89 has a bore IIlI' which forms a working. fit on the eccentric 94. The wrist pin end I92 of this connecting rod is journaled on a wrist pin I93 which has an extension extending through a vertical slot I94. formed in the side channel I5.

Secured on the lower flange of the side channel I3 is a spacer plate I95 and this plate supports a bearing member I89. A similar bearing member I91 is mounted on the plate 55, and in the structure between these bearing members are aligned clearance holes for a reciprocable member I98, which has an enlarged portion I89 to which is secured the extension of the wrist pin 98. The enlarged portion I99 has a stepped threaded portion III] which extends through a hole in a plate III, which will be presently described. A suitable nut II2 engages. the threads on. the member I I8, and thus one. end of the plate member II I is secured. to the reciprocable member I98. The upper end of the reciprocable member has a threaded hole formed therein which is threadedly engaged by a stud I I3, which carries a lock nut II4 so that it may be lengthened or shortened and locked in any desired position by means of they lock nut 4-. This stud is pivotallyconnected to a connecting rod- 5 by means of a clevis pin H9 and the other end, of the connecting rod: is pivotally connected to the outer end of the walking beam: 95 by means of a clevis pin I I1.

Secured on the lower flange of the side channel I5 is spacer plate II 8, and secured to this plate is a bearing member II9. Asecond bearingmember I29 is secured on the plate 55 in alignment with the bearing member H9 and aligned clearance holes are formed in the plate 55, the member 2|, the flanges of the side channel I5 and in the spacer plate IIB. .Mounte'd in the bearings H9 and I20 is a reciprocal member I2I which is identical with the reciprocable member I98. The member I2I has an enlarged portion I22 to which the extension of the connecting rod I93 is connected; It also has a threaded portion I23, like the portion H9, and this extends through a hole in the other end of the plate I I I' and is secured thereto by means of a nut I24 engaging the threads on the portion The upper end of the member I.2I has an internally threaded hole which; is, engaged by a threaded stud I25 carrying a locking nut I29.

The stud I25 is pivotally connected toa connecting rod I2! by means of a clevis pin I28, and in turn the connecting rod I21 is pivotally connected to the outer end of the walking beam 94 by means of a clevis pin I29. All. of the connecting 'ro ds connect to the walking beams, the dasher plate, and the reciprocable members [98 and I2I are bifurcated on each end, and the clevis pinsdescribed are secured in position in these connecting rods by means of cotter pins (not shown).

The plate III has a plurality of holes formed therein in alignment with the bores 32 formed in the guides 24, 25 and 29. One of these holes is designated by the numeral I38 in Figures 4 and 5.. Mounted in each of these holes is a plunger member 'I3.I. Since all of these plunger members are identical, 2. description of one of them should suflice for all. Each plunger member includes a. straight shaft portion 132 having threads I33 formed on one end thereof and threads I34 formed on the other end. Each shaft I32 forms a working flt in a sleeve member I315. which in turn forms a working fit in the bore 32. Threadedly engaging the threads I34 formed on the upper end of the shaft portion I32 is an internally threaded head member I39 having a conical apex I31.

The plunger member I3I has its. shaft I32 positively connected to the plate III by means of shouldered nuts I38 and I39. The nut I38 engages the threads I33 and has its. shoulder I38a extending into the hole I39 from above. The nut I39 has its shoulder I39a extending into the hole I39 from below. The heightof the head I39 above the plate III' may be adjusted by loosening one of the nuts, then .securing the other one in a direction to move the shaft I32 upwardly or downwardly, and, then when the proper height is obtained the other nut may be tightened to retain the adjustment. Spaced apart from the plate I I I is an intermediate plate I49 to which is secured the, sleeve members I35 which, as described above, reciprocate in the bores 32 formed in the. guides 24, 25 and 29. Each sleeve member I35 has. a head, or flange I4I formed integral therewith, and the bore I42 in the intermediate member I49 has a counterbore I43. With the sleeve member I35 positioned in the bore I42 and its. head MI in. the. counterbore I43, a plate or disc I44 having, a clearance hole I45 therein to clear the plunger member I3I, spans the head. I41, and is secured to the intermediate member I49. by means of screws I49. Each bore 32 inthe guide members 29, 25 and 29 is provided with packing. means- I41 which cooperates with the sleeve member I35 to prevent leakage of the fluid being handled.

A stud I49 has its upper end threadedly en gaging the intermediate member I49. and extends downwardly through a clearance. hole I49 formed in the plate III. A secondstud I59 is spaced apart from the stud I48 and threadedly engages the intermediate member I49 and extends downwardly through a clearance hole I5 I formed in the plate member II I. The. stud I48 has an enlarged portion E52, and. likewise the stud I59, has anenlarged portion I53. Surrounding. the. stud I48 and positioned between the plate. I I I and the. intermediate member I48 is asleeve I54 which may be formed of rubber or any other like cushioning material, and surrounding the stud I59 and positioned betweenthe plate III and the inter- .mediate member'is a second cushioning. member When the cushioning members I54 and I are positioned between the. plateII-I and the intermediate member, the enlarged portions; I52 and I53 limit the upward movement of the intermediate member I49 by coming to rest on the lower surface of the plate III. 'Thestud I48 has a threaded portion I59 which is engaged by a nut I51. Abutting the nut I51 is a'cupped washer I58, and between this cupped washer and the plate III is a spring I59. The stud I50 has a threaded portion I60 which is engaged by a nut IBI. Abutting the nut I6I is a cupped washer I62 and between this cushioned washer and the plate III is a spring I63. The tension of the springs I59 and I63 may be adjusted by means of the nuts I51 and I6I respectively.

Secured to the lower surface of the plate by means of bolts I65 is a cylinder I64, which has a cylinder head I66 connected by means of an array of pipe fittings I61 to a T I68 which is in turn connected to a controlled source of a fluid medium under pressure (such as compressed air).

Within the cylinder I64 is a piston I69 having a piston rod I10 connected thereto and movable therewith. The upper end of the piston rod I10 is threaded and it extends through a clearance hole I1I for-med in the intermediate member I40 and is secured thereto by means of nuts I12 and I13.

A second cylinder I14 is secured to the underside of the plate III by means of bolts I15. This cylinder has a cylinder head I16 which is connected by an array I11 of pipe fittings to the T I68. This cylinder is spaced apart from the cylinder I64. It carries a piston (not shown) like the piston I69 which has a piston rod I18, the upper end of which is threaded and extends through a clearance hole I19 in the intermediate member I40. Engaging the threads is a nut I80 below the intermediate member I40 and a nut ISI above the intermediate member. By means of nuts I12 and I13, and the nuts I80 and I8I, the piston rods I10 and I18 may be adjusted.

Referring to Figures 2, 4 and 5, guide springs I82, I83, I84, I85 are mounted on the guides 21, 26, 25 and 24 respectively. Each of these springs includes a lug which is secured on the upper surface of its guide strip and includes a spring portion which depends from this lug and lies adjacent to its guide member. For example, in Figures 4 and the guide spring I84 is seen, and it will be noted that the main body of this spring lies adjacent to the guide 25 and which engages the tongue of the flooring strip I88 to the left. Likewise the spring I83 on the guide 2t urges the flooring strip I81 to the left so that its grooved edge bears against the guide 25. This insures that the nozzles, such as the nozzle 30, project into the groove and have their exits positioned for squirting the little jets of rubber against the bottom of the groove.

Action of the nozzle impulses Referring to Figures 4, 5 and 6, and keeping in mind Figure 3, the walking beams are swung upwardly by the connecting rods 95 and I00 which reciprocate the members I08 and I2I. As these members reciprocate, the plate II I is moved therewith and also the plunger members I3I within the sleeve members I35. As the plate I I I is moved upwardly by the members I08 and HI the walking beam 65 is moved in a clockwise direction about its axis 63, and the walking beam 64 is moved in a counterclockwise direction about its axis 6|. As a result of this movement, due to the connecting rods one of which is shown at 11, the dasher plate 66 is moved downwardly to the position shown in Figure 3, which is the position which may be best seen in Figure 5. The plunger member has by that time moved upwardly so that the head I36 thereof is substantially above the conical hole 55a. formed in the plate 55. During this time the plate I40 is moved in time with the plate I I I and consequently the distance between the head I36 and the upper end of the sleeve I35 remains fixed.

From the position shown in Figure 5 the plate III and the intermediate plate I40 are moved downwardly, and as the head I36 recedes into the bore 32 there is trapped betwen the lower end of the sleeve I35 a body I of the rubber adhesive. By the time the trapped body of adhesive I90 is substantially centralized with respect to the nozzle 30, air is suddenly supplied to the cylinders I64 and I14 via the T I68 (this is controlled by cam means to be presently described), thereby causing the sleeve I35 to suddenly move upwardly. This causes some of the adhesive to squirt through the nozzle aperture 3I and impinge upon the bottom of the groove in the form of a spot 33. The supply of air is then immediately cut ofi from the cylinders I64 and I14. During the time the plate I40 is moved upwardly by the cylinders I64 and I14 rubber cushioning members I54 and I55 have been moved out of contact with the plate III, and at the same time the springs I59 and I63 were tensioned so that as soon as the supply of air was cut off from the cylinders I64 and I41, the reaction of these springs causes the intermediate plate I40 to move downwardly with a snap and to come to rest with a cushioning efiect when the cushioning members I54 and I55 are again brought into contact with the plate II I due to this movement. This causes the space in which the isolated body of adhesive I90 is contained to suddenly become greater, with the result that any of the adhesive in the nozzle passage is withdrawn into the space between the head I35 and the upper end of the sleeve instead of being allowed to ooze out and to dribble onto the flooring strips.

It has been found that as the head I36 and the sleeve I35 are reciprocated in the bores 32 there is no tendency for the adhesive to discharge from the nozzles until the relative relation of the sleeve and the head is changed, and due to this propery we very conveniently and effectively cause this change by delivering compressed air to the cylinders I64 and I14 just at the right time and for a suificiently short duration to deposit, quite exactly, the necessary quantities of adhesive in each spot to form what might be termed hinging parquet flooring blocks. Due to the fact that We suddenly withdraw into the space between the head and the upper end of the sleeve the adhesive contained in the nozzle passage 3I, the adhesive spots are confined entirely to the bodies of the grooves and to the surfaces of the tongues which are subsequently placed in contact therewith.

Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, a carriage I9I includes end plates I92 and I93 which are secured together by tie rods I94 and I95 constituting one group, and tie rods I96 and I91 constituting another group. The end plate I92 has flanged rollers I98 and I99 mounted thereon, and likewise the end plate I93 has flanged rollers 200 and 220i mounted thereon. These rollers bears on the upper surface I0 of the plate 9 and the flanges engage the edges of the plate and are guided thereby. The carriage I9I has. a depending lug 202 which carries a boss 203.

'A piston rod 204 is pivotally connected to the depending lug 202. The piston rod has a piston which is reciprocable in a cylinder 205, and the, cylinder 205 is connected by means of a fiexi-iaesaeoc 'ble conduit 20a to a cam controlled valve, which will presently be described.

The depending lug 262 also has pivotally connected to it a piston rod 201 having a piston reciprocably' carried in a cylinder 208, and this cylinder is connected by means of a flexible conduit 209 to a cam controlled valve, which will also presently be described. The table or support carries stops 2m and 2H which are spaced apart from each other and which define the extremes of the path of travel of the carriage. For example, when the cylinder 265 is supplied with air its piston through the medium of the piston rod 204 and the depending lug 292 moves the carriage to the left, as seen in Figure 1, until the boss 203 comes in contacttherewith and is arrested by the stop 2| I. When the carriage is being moved to the right by the cylinder 228 the boss 203 is arrested by the stop 2 i ll.

Referring now to Figure 2, a plate 2|2 has spaced bosses 2l3 and 2M thereon which form working fits on the tie rods. The plate 2H2 extends downwardly and just clears the surface ill of the plate 9. The plate 212 has secured thereto a piston rod 2 l 5 which carries a piston adapted to reciprocate in an air cylinder 2 l6. The cylintier 2 l6 has a fiexible conduit 2!! which in turn inconnected to valve means to be presently described.

A plate 2"), which is identical with the plate 212, carries bosses which form working fits on the tie rods I93 and H4, and this plate has connected thereto a piston rod 259 which carries a piston reciprocally carried in a cylinder 22%. A flexible conduit, not shown, like the conduit 21? is connected to the same source of compressed air as the conduit 2H, as will hereinafter be described.

A plate 22l is similar to the plate 2l2 and is provided with bosses having holes therein which form working fits on the tie rods l92 and i9]. Theplate 22! has a piston rod 222 connected thereto and this rod carries a piston which reciprocates in a cylinder 223. A flem'ble conduit 224 is connected to the cylinder 223 and has its other end connected to a cam controlled valve, which will presently be described. A plate 225 has spaced bosses thereon which are bored out to form working fits on the tie rods 1% and 131, and this plate has a piston rod 226 connected thereto and this rod in turn carries a piston adapted to reciprocate in a cylinder 221. The cylinder 22? is supplied with compressed air in time with and from the same source as the air supplied to the cylinder 223 so that as the several flooring strips with the spots of rubber deposited in the grooves thereof leave the feeding mechanism and the guide strips 23 to 21, they arrive on the surface I!) and between the depending portions of the plates 22I and 225 and at that time (as will hereinafter be described) air is supplied to both the cylinders 223 and 221, thereby causing the several flooring strips to be brought together under comparatively light pressure. Then as soon as the air in the cylinders 223 and 221 is released the lightly assembled parquet block, formed-of the several flooring strips, is releasedand delivered between the depending portions of the plates 2H2 and 2l8, as will hereinafter be described.

The shaft ll carries a cam 222 which has securedthereto a lobe 229 which actuates valves 230. and 23! simultaneously. The valve 239 is connected to a source of air under pressure and to the flexible conduit 224 which supplies, the cylinder 22 3 and also to the conduit which sunplies the cylinder 221. The valve 231 is connected to a source of air under pressure which may bea higher pressure than the source to which the valve 230 is connected, and this valve in turn is connected to the conduit 2H which supplies air to the cylinders M6 and 220.

The shaft ll carries a cam 232 which has a lobe 233 for actuating the valve 234. The T I63 has a street L 235 connected thereto and leading from the street L to the valve 234 is a flexible conduit 236, so that each time the cam 232 actuates the valve 234 compressed air is supplied to the cylinders 264 and H4.

The shaft ll carries a cam 23"! which controls a valve 238, which is connected to the other end of the flexible conduit 206 leading to the cylinder 285. A second cam 239 is mounted on the shaft l l and it controls a valve 240 which is connected to the other end of the flexible conduit 239 for delivering air to the cylinder 208. Thus the movement of the carriage between the stops 259 and 2 is controlled.

The shaft I I also carries a cam 24! which controls a valve 242. This valve is connected to a cylinder which raises and lowersa series of pins 244 vertically. The extreme limit of movement of these pins vertically is substantially the thickness of each of the flooring strips, and the function of these pins is to move into contact with the lower surfaces of the flooring strips in the next to the bottom row in the hopper 34 after the lugs 42 on the chains 43 have started feeding the bottom layer of the flooring strips from the magazine. This holds the stack of strips in the magazine horizontally even though the bottom row is being fed outwardly and the cam 24! so times the supply of air to the cylinder controlling the pins 244 so that as the trailing ends of the strips being fed out of the magazine leave the stack, the pins 244 are released so' that all of the stacks in the magazine are allowed to move downwardly substantially level.

The valves 230, 23L 234, 238, 240 and 242 are supported on an inverted generally U-shaped support 243 which is in turn secured to the longitudinal frame members one of which is shown at 20.

Several air tanks, at least some of which are shown at 245, 246 and 241, are connected to a source of com ressed air and these may include pressure reducing valves, not shown, which maintain several pressures in the several tanks which are indicated by the gages 248, 249 and 2553, respectively.

Referring to Figure 2, the flooring strips N36 to I39, inclusive, after having had the rubber spots deposited in the groove thereof, move between the clamping members 22! and 225 where they are forced lightly together by the cylinders 223 and 221. This occurs when the cylinder 208 is supplied with air and the carriage I9! is moved to the right, as seen in Figure 2,, to its extreme position with the boss 203 in contact with the stop 2 I0. "While the blocks between the members 22! and 225 are held together under this light pressure the carriage ISI is advanced to the left due to the fact that the cam 239 cuts off the supply of air to the cylinder 208 and the cam 23? supplies air to the cylinder 205, and thereby the carriage is moved to its extreme left position with the boss 203 in contact with he stop 2 l i. This brings the assembled parquet block formed of the strips lBEa, l8'la, |88a and [83a to the position shown in solid lines at 251 in Figure 2. Then the air to the cylinders 223 and 221 11 is released, allowing the members 22! and 225 to move to their extreme outer positions. At the same time air is removed from the cylinders 2l6 and 228, allowing the clamping members 2| 2 and 2H3 to also move to their extreme outer positions. Following this the supply of air to the cylinder 285 is cut off and air is again supplied to the cylinder 208 and the carriage i9! is moved to its extreme right position. Following this the next set of flooring slats with the rubber deposited in the bottoms of the grooves is moved to positions between the clamping members 222i and 225 and air is supplied to the cylinders 223 and 221, and simultaneously air is supplied to the cylinders ZIB and 220 with the result that the set of strips between the clamping members 22! and 225 are lightly clamped together and the group in the position 25l, which previously had been lightly clamped together, are more heavily clamped together between the clamping members 212 and H8.

During the next machine cycle the group of flooring strip-s between the clamping members 22! and 225 are moved to the left to the position 25! and the block which was between the clamping members 212 and 2|8 is thereby moved to the left.

It is to be understood that the above detailed description of the present invention and the modificaion thereof is intended to disclose embodiments thereof to those skilled in the art, but that the invention is not to be construed as limited in its application to the details of construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways without departing from the spirit of the invention. The language used in the specification relating to the operation and function of the elements of the invention is employed for purposes of description and not of limitation, and it is not intended to limit the scope of he following claims beyond the requirements of the prior art.

What is claimed is:

1. In a machine for applying spots of adhesive in the bottoms of grooves in flooring strips, a table, means to feed said strips in a substantially straight path along the surface of said table, a tank positioned above said path and adapted to contain adhesive, nozzle means including fixed nozzles extending into said path to be traversed by grooves in said strips as the latter are fed along said path, pulsing means between the adhesive in said tank and passages in said nozzle means for momentarily supplying adhesive to said passages under pressure and for immediately reducing said pressure to subatmospheric, thereby causing a drop of adhesive from each nozzle to discharge and impinge upon the bottom of said groove and causing the adhesive remaining in the passages to be immediately withdrawn therefrom so as to prevent adhesive from getting on to other portions of the surfaces of said strips.

2. In a machine for applying spots of adhesive in the bottoms of grooves in flooring strips, a table, means on said table defining a path along the surface thereof, means for feeding said strips along said path with the grooves therein laterally disposed, a tank positioned above said path and adapted to contain adhesive, nozzle means extending laterally in said path and into the grooves of said strips, said nozzles having discharge ends facing the bottoms of said grooves as the stri s a e fed along said path, positively actuated pulsingmeans between the adhesive in said tank and passages in said nozzle means for momentarily supplying adhesive to said passages under pressure and immediately reducing said pressure to sub-atmospheric, thereby causing a drop of adhesive from each nozzle to discharg therefrom and impinge upon the bottom of the groove facing it and causing the adhesive remaining in said passages to be immediately withdrawn therefrom, thereby preventing adhesive from oozing from said passages after each discharge.

3. The invention according to claim 2, in which said pulsing means includes a plunger reciprocally carried in a sleeve which in turn is reciprocally carried in a cylinder bore communicating with one of said nozzles and with the interior of said tank; a head carried on the upper end of said plunger and adapted to place the space in said bore, between said head and the end of said sleeve, into communication with the interior of said tank during one portion of an operating cycle; and adapted to isolate said space therefrom during other portions of said cycle, reciprocable means for moving said plunger and said sleeve in unison during a portion of said operating cycle, other means acting independently of said first means for moving said sleeve and said head nearer together to effect a sudden discharge of adhesive from the nozzle, said other means being adapted to cease acting as said discharge is efiected, and spring means for reestablishing the relation of the sleeve with said plunger as said last means ceases to act.

4. The invention according to claim 2, in which said pulsing means includes a plunger reciprocally carried in a sleeve which in turn is reciprocally carried in a cylinder bore communicating with one of said nozzles and with the interior of said tank; a head carried on the upper end of said plunger and adapted to place space in said bore, between it and the end of said sleeve, into communication with the interior of said tank so that said space may receive adhesive during one portion of an operating cycle; and adapted to isolate said space from said tank during other portions of said cycle, eccentric means for moving said plunger and said sleeve in unison during the major portion of said operating cycle, air controlled piston means acting independently of said first means for moving said sleeve toward said head and reducing the volume of said space to effect a sudden discharge of adhesive from said nozzle, said piston means being adapted to cease acting as said discharge is effected, and spring means acting with a snap for reestablishing the relation of the sleeve with said plunger as said piston means ceases to act.

5. In a machine for applying spots of adhesive in the bottom of grooves in flooring strips, a table, guide means on said table defining a path along the surface thereof, means to feed said strips along said path with its upper surface uppermost and with grooves therein facing laterally, a tank positioned above said path and adapted to contain adhesive, nozzle means supported in said guide means below the level of and having a discharge end extending horizontally into said path and consequently into the groove of the strip traversing said path, a dasher plate in said tank, pulsing means between the adhesive in said tank and passages in said nozzle means, means operating said dasher means and said pulsing means in timed relation to each other for momentarily supplying adhesive to said passages under pressure and immediately reducing the pressure to aeaasoe sub-atmospheric, thereby causing adhesive from said nozzle means to discharge therefrom and impings upon the bottom of the groove facing it and for causing the adhesive remaining in said passages to be immediately withdrawn therefrom.

6. In a device of the character described, a tank for adhesive, a cylinder having a bore thereone end of which is adapted to communicate with adhesive in said tank, a sleeve reciprocally carried in said cylinder, a plunger reciprocally carried in said sleeve and having a head thereon of a diameter to form a working fit in said cylinder, a nozzle extending laterally from the Wall of said cylinder and having a passage communicating with the interior of said cylinder, and means to mere said sleeve and said plunger differentially to effect a sudden discharge from said nozzle and to immediately cause any remaining adhesive in said nozzle to withdraw into said cylinder.

7. In a device of the character described, a tank for adhesive, a cylinder having a bore therein, one end of which is adapted to communicate with the bottom of said tank, a sleeve reciprocally carried in said cylinder, at plunger reciprocally carried in said sleeve and having a head thereon of a diameter to form a working fit in said cylinder, the space between said head and the adjacent end of said sleeve being adapted to receive adhesive, a nozzle extending laterally from the wall of said cylinder and having a passage therein communicating with the interior of said cylinder, and means to move said sleeve and said plunger difierentially to effect a sudden discharge of adhesive from said nozzle and to immediately withdraw remaining adhesive in said nozzle into said cylinder.

8. In a device of the character described, a tank for adhesive, a cylinder mounted on the bottom wall of said tank and having a bore therein extending through said bottom Wall, a sleeve reciprocally carried in said cylinder, a plunger reciprocally carried in said sleeve and having a head thereon, the diameter of which is substantially equal to the diameter of said sleeve, a nozzle extending laterally from the wall of said cylinder and having a passage therein communicating with the interior of said cylinder, means to move said sleeve and said plunger differentially to efiect a sudden discharge of adhesive from said nozzle, and spring means acting immediately upon the cessation of the action of said last means to suddenly Withdraw remaining adhesive in said nozzle into said cylinder.

9. A device according to claim 8 in which the reciprocating paths of sleeve and said head are partially in said cylinder and partially in said tank.

ARTHUR KLAMMT. GEORGE W. KRETZSCHMAR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 541,103 Mabin et a1 June 18, 1895 1,010,594 Cowles Dec. 5, 1911 1,230,379 Clas June 19, 1917 2,135,755 Laushe Nov. 8, 1938 2,252,432 Klammt Aug. 12, 1941 

